A parking lot includes multiple parking spaces, in which respectively one vehicle may be parked. A management system for the parking lot includes a parking lot sensor at every one of the parking spaces, a central processing device and a communication network between the parking lot sensors and the processing device. Each parking lot sensor determines whether or not a vehicle is located in the parking space assigned to it. The parking lot sensor transmits the result of this determination to the management system, which thereupon is able for example to make arrangements so that free parking spaces become occupied or to charge for occupied parking spaces.
Each parking lot sensor includes a sensor for scanning the parking space. The sensor may implement one of several conventional measuring principles. The parking lot sensor may be operated by a battery that has a limited capacity. Additionally or alternatively, the parking lot sensor may also be designed to supply itself with energy, for example by energy harvesting. An average power consumption of the parking lot sensor may generally depend on how frequently determinations are made by the sensor. To save energy, it is therefore advantageous to perform scans as seldom as possible. On the other hand, this also increases a response time of the parking lot sensor such that it is possible that the parking lot sensor misses a change of a vehicle parked in the parking space. In practice, an attempt is therefore made to define a scanning frequency of the parking lot sensor in such a way that an acceptable compromise is achieved between a low power consumption and a short response time.
The present invention is based on the objective of indicating a technology for controlling a parking lot sensor that allows for the formation of an improved compromise.